Fred Harvey is Cape’s lucky charm
Two in photo - Two people in a picture tells its own story. I sneaked a snap of Fred Harvey and Jacki Coveleski at a Cape home basketball game, and the two have history. “He’s my good luck charm,” Jacki said of Harvey. Fred has driven 10 state championship girls’ teams in field hockey and lacrosse to and from the title games over the last six years and always makes the team photo and banquet, as well he should. Jacki was the State Player of the Year in both sports just three years ago. She has one more season of field hockey to play at the University of Delaware next fall and said "just maybe” she would try lacrosse her fifth year while going to graduate school. I didn’t know NCAA rules permitted four seasons in one and one in another, but evidently they do.
Getting home! - Just last week I wrote about my longtime idea for a sports book titled “Getting Home. How Can I Screw This Up?” The Green Bay Packers' blow up and give it up overtime loss to Seattle Sunday in the NFC Championship Game moved to Chapter One and stays there. Seattle trailed 19-7 with less than three minutes remaining. Everyone will remember the onside kick when tight end Brandon Bostick took a slow-motion, one-bounce ball right into his face mask and missed it with his hands. But the story began with the interception that apparently sealed the deal and sent the Packers into shrink-wrap mode. Bostick can stand tall and say, “My play contributed to the loss, but so did 15 others in the fourth quarter and overtime."
Ebbs and flows - comes and goes - I can’t explain Cape’s flow of basketball talent and how a boys' team that made it to the semifinals in 2014 is struggling with a 5-7 record in 2015. And the girls' program is currently 4-6 looking back at a state championship game appearance in 2011. I can’t explain it, and to say the talent disappeared is an insult to the talent that did appear. And to argue that some of the middle school talent is going elsewhere doesn’t really work because the Saint Elsewhere clubs aren’t exactly killing it - Sussex Tech boys are 6-5 and the Ravens girls are 4-7. Sports specialization is part of the reason; basically you come out for basketball, you make the team, as many gifted athletes are swimming, playing indoor lacrosse and hockey, or just getting stronger in the weight room.
Truth and trust - Grand Mom Rose said, “Just because you can’t trust everyone doesn’t mean you can’t trust anyone.” A celebrated and respected coach gets arrested and charged with sexual assault, and the beam of light refracts back on the entire profession, which is ridiculous, but that’s what happens. A required teacher/coach in-service should be part of the start of every school year. And perhaps an in-service for parents as well. I don’t like writing about this or talking about it because it shouldn’t be necessary, but no one checks the predator box on a job application, so we have to ferret them out.
Snippets - The Temple University women’s lacrosse team led all 19 sports on campus with a team GPA of 3.55 after the 2014 fall semester. Yes, my granddaughter Anna is on the team, and I find that statistic amazing when I think of the circus of clowns I hung around with 50 years earlier.
The Cape girls are undefeated in swimming, and they are really good. But their sport boasts Wilmington Charter, winner of seven straight state titles, which hasn't lost a dual meet in seven years. I think Charter is a good dual meet team and a great big meet team. I don’t know the ebb and flow, but it seems they get the best swimmers from upstate.
Cape is still looking for a head coach for girls' soccer. There are a few applicants, and that is all I know.
Aubrey Inkster played drums at the Dover-Cape basketball game. He's a smart kid who runs cross country and plays drums and has great hair. He looks like a great-nephew of the Shockley clan.
Mariner versus Beacon at Cape will be played Thursday, Jan. 22. The girls' game is at 6 p.m. followed by the boys' game.
Go on now, git!
